More than 800 human resource professionals from across the United States attended this year’s summit.

Michael R. Losey Human Resource Research Award

This year’s recipient, Susan E. Jackson, is a professor at the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations.

The award, which comes with a $50,000 prize, recognizes HR academics or experts whose research significantly advances the field of HR management. It also helps fund future contributions to the field.

Over the course of her almost 30-year career, Jackson has conducted research on a wide breadth of human resource issues and has been published in more than 150 scholarly articles. Her primary areas of expertise for teaching and scholarship include managing for environmental sustainability, work team diversity and strategic human resource management systems.

“An enduring feature of her work is that it very often represents the leading edge of ideas that are not yet but will soon become of widespread interest,” wrote a colleague in a recommendation letter for this award. “Her work has had a major impact on HR scholarship, HR education and the HR management.”

Jackson holds master’s and doctoral degrees in organizational and social psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology from the University of Minnesota.

“This award is an honor I never imagined receiving and for which I am truly grateful,” Jackson said. “None of my work would have been possible without the full engagement and support of dozens of seasoned HR professionals who understood and appreciated the inherent value of empirical research. To all the HR professionals who have collaborated in the many studies I’ve conducted in their organizations, I offer my sincerest thanks. Using the funds that accompany this award, I look forward to our continued collaborations.”

The 2015 Meisinger Fellowship winner, Mary K. Otto, SHRM-SCP, is currently manager of human resources for TouchTunes Music Corp. in Schaumburg, Ill. She is also an independent consultant, working with various business and individual clients.

The annual award is given to a human resources professional who demonstrates exemplary leadership. It is a $10,000 fellowship for first-time master’s degree students and was established in 2009 to help develop the next generation of HR leaders. To be eligible, an HR professional either must be a member of SHRM or must hold a professional certification.

In her fellowship application, Otto wrote, “I want to encourage and mentor others to balance professional life, personal life and community responsibility. I wish to be involved with the discussions impacting the field and its direction. I believe that furthering my education and gaining additional support through the Susan R. Meisinger Fellowship will give me these opportunities.”

Otto holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland. In January 2016, Otto will begin her graduate studies at Lasell College in Auburndale, Mass., where she will pursue a Master of Science in management with a concentration in human resource management.

She intends to focus her continuing education on employment law and its practical application, which is one of her primary passions within human resources.

About the SHRM Foundation The SHRM Foundation was founded in 1966 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The SHRM Foundation advances global HR knowledge and practice by providing thought leadership and educational support, and by sponsoring, funding and driving the adoption of cutting-edge, actionable and evidence-based research. Visit
www.shrm.org/Foundation and follow us on Twitter @SHRMFoundation.